They All Lived Story 23: I think, You think
by LadyWordsmith
Summary: Life moves forward in Central. The 'good old boys' deal with the realities of middle age. Sara finally deals with her male issues. The entire Elric family takes a little much needed vacation.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Two parts to this one. Enjoy! And can anyone guess the pop culture reference in the title? I'll give you a clue: google the title of this with 'Annette' and see what comes up. :)

* * *

**April 23****rd****, 1951 **

Alphonse leaned back in his chair at the dining room table and stretched. There was nothing better than a relaxing evening at home with the family. "That was great, as always," he complimented Elicia's cooking as she picked up the empty serving dishes. Thank goodness there hadn't been dessert though. He was pleasantly full as it was.

Elicia smiled. "I'm always glad to know my skills are still appreciated," she chuckled. "Did you get enough?"

"More than," Al replied with a laugh.

"That was good, Mom," Will agreed, nodding. Of course, Will still seemed to be shooting up, and was in the middle of another growth spurt, so Al wasn't surprised.

"I hope you saved room," Elicia grinned at him. "Your daughter has a surprise for you."

"Strawberry tarts!" Alyse set the plate proudly down on the table in front of him. "I know they're one of your favorites, so I wanted to try making them myself." His daughter beamed at him, her bright green eyes sparkling hopefully.

What could he say? Al looked hopelessly down at the plate for a moment, then smiled. "They look fantastic." They did, and he knew she was waiting for his approval specifically. Al picked up one of them, grateful she had made tarts, and not something larger! He took a bite. "Delicious," he said after he had swallowed. He meant it of course. Alyse had fairly recently decided that baking was one of her favorite hobbies, though she had always enjoyed it. She had Gracia's natural talent for it as well.

Alyse's smile grew even brighter. "I'm glad you like them, Daddy."

Will snagged one of them off the plate then, taking it down in a couple of bites. "Mmm, those are good!"

"Which means they won't last long," Elicia chuckled.

"That's fine," Alyse replied. "I can always make more." She hugged Al around the neck. "I need to go finish my report for tomorrow," she said before heading upstairs to her room.

"That reminds me," Will groaned, standing as well. "I've got Composition and Literature homework." He eyed the tarts then grabbed a couple more before he also headed for the stairs.

When Alyse was gone, Al looked at the tray of tarts staring up at him and couldn't help but groan softly.

"Is something wrong?" Elicia asked with a note of concern in her voice.

Al looked up at her, shrugged, and smiled. "Next time, warn me if we're having dessert."

"Didn't leave room?" Elicia smirked.

"I filled up on vegetables," Al admitted. "It seemed safer."

"Safer?" Elicia gave him a bemused look as she picked up the tray of tarts. "These are perfectly good. I had one earlier."

"Too good," Al chuckled, clarifying as he stood up to help her finish clearing the table. "It's hard to be good when there's something that tempting around."

"Something more tempting than me," Elicia teased him? "What's the harm in a little dessert?"

Al kissed her cheek. "More harm than there is in you," he countered with a grin. "Unless you're the one secretly taking in the waist on my uniforms." They had been a little snug when he got back from Xing and after being out sick, and with all the stress around HQ lately he was having a little more trouble taking that few pounds off than he liked. Alyse's newfound love of baking was_ not_ helping the issue!

"You could always join Edward and Breda on Saturday mornings instead of just working out with Edward in the afternoons," Elicia seemed to enjoy teasing him on this particular subject. "Though really, Al, I think you're over-reacting."

"Better over than under," Al countered as he went into the kitchen and started in on the dishes. "Unless you're telling me you prefer Breda's build to mine." He _could_ tease back.  
Elicia sidled up beside him, slipping her arm around his waist and snuggling against his shoulder, interrupting any attempts at dish washing. "That's not even funny," she smirked. "I'm just saying that _just _because the cats have decided you're a comfortable place to sleep doesn't mean you need to be concerned."

"Ha ha, very funny," Al sighed, but a smile broke out on his face anyway. Of course, Elicia always had that effect on him. No, it wasn't anything to be particularly concerned about, but it was definitely annoying. "Just warn me if Alyse has any more _surprises_ planned in the near future alright? I don't want to hurt her feelings." Elicia's reply was cut off by the phone ringing in the other room. "I'll get it," Al slipped out of her arms and went into the living room. "Hello?"

"Hey, umm…is Alyse there?" The voice on the other side of the line was definitely male and definitely adolescent; or at least, in the middle of puberty. It was also rather casual.

"May I ask who's calling?" Al immediately scowled.

"It's Mart," the young man's voice came back.

Mart. Al had certainly not heard Alyse mention any guy named _Mart_. "And how old are you Mart?"

"Seventeen," The voice on the other end of the line was definitely concerned, as well he should be.. "Hey, are you her older brother?" he asked suspiciously.

"This is Major General Elric," Al replied sharply into the phone. "Try calling back in four years, Mart." With that, he hung up the phone. That was the _fifth_ call in the past couple of weeks. It was like there had been a news bulletin put out somewhere that Alyse had turned fourteen, and suddenly boys were calling! Al didn't like it one bit.

"Honey, are you all right?" Elicia poked her head out of the kitchen, frowning. "You sound angry."

"Just irritated," Al replied, swallowing his anger and calming down within a few moments. "She's just a kid."

"Not much more than you were at fourteen," Elicia rolled her eyes as she joined him. "Honestly, you're almost as bad as the stories Mom used to tell me about Daddy. "And how are you going to handle it when Alyse finally gets married?"

Al felt his eyes bug a little at the thought. "Isn't it a little early to be talking about that?" he asked. He was most definitely _not_ ready for his little girl to be that grown up!

"As funny as it sounds to be telling _you_ this, you really need to relax," Elicia shook her head, though she was clearly amused. Her expression softened. "I know things have been tense lately, but the worst of it seems to be over."

"I hope so," Al gathered her into a hug. So much had happened in a short time that it was still a little overwhelming. He just hoped that everything continued to calm down so that life could get back to something resembling normal. Or at least, as normal as life around Central ever got.

**April 24****th****, 1951**

The next morning dawned sunny and promising. Alphonse had a busy work schedule that involved several morning meetings, late morning classes, and a couple of sparring sessions after lunch with Matthias Wood and then Ed after that. He was looking forward to teaching, and to the afternoon training session.

But first, there was paperwork! His first morning meeting involved heading up to Breda's office with the usual stack of files and forms. "Good morning," Al smiled at now-Major Franz Heimler as he spotted the younger man just inside the door, working away.

Franz's head jerked up as if he'd been caught a little by surprise, and he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Good morning, General," he smiled, looking slightly relieved, that Al couldn't help but wonder why. "Can I help you?"

Al nodded and held out most of the stack. "I'm afraid I've got plenty more for you this morning. Other than that I'm supposed to meet with Breda. Is he available?"

"He should be kicking the Assemblymen he's meeting with out of there any minute," Feury commented from his own desk with a chuckle. "They have complaints about the new budget."

"They always have complaints about the budget," Al pointed out with a laugh, though he stifled it just as the door to Breda's inner office opened, and two of the older Assemblymen strode out, looking only slightly mollified, and left the offices entirely.

When they were gone, Breda was standing at the door of his office looking annoyed. At least until he spotted Al; then his face split into a smile. "Finally! Someone I don't have to yell at."

Al smirked and went into Breda's office. "Work as usual?" he asked sympathetically.

Breda sighed and shrugged. "Work as usual. Have a seat. Get comfortable," he waved at one of the black leather sofas and went over to the small bar, pouring himself a glass of water. "Want a drink?" he offered, holding up the pitcher.

"Yes please," Al agreed easily. He noticed that Breda was moving a little stiffly this morning. Of course, that wasn't too unusual of late. "Ed work you over last night?"

"Your brother is a sadist," Breda gave a short, sharp laugh, but he was smiling when he turned around and sat down across from Al, setting the glasses of water down on the table between them. "Once a week was bad enough. Going to two is almost murder!"

"You could always join our students for some extra practice," Al couldn't help teasing. The new alchemists in the classes training up before the State Alchemy Exam were currently dealing with conditioning under Armstrong, and working out four to five days a week before getting into the real combat training. This was the slower time of the season for Ed and Al, who enjoying training them up from the beginning to make sure they got it right, but weren't necessary for the basic conditioning, and so they had finally had to delegate some of that to other alchemists in order to keep up with their other duties. Al knew that drove Ed nuts, since his brother would probably have been happy to run their students into the ground with several hour training sessions daily!

"No thank you," Breda smirked. "I'd like to live to see the kids out of school at least!"

"Well it must be doing some good," Al pointed out, picking up the glass and drinking from it. The first couple of weeks Breda had been obviously sore for days at a time.

"Oh it is," Breda agreed. "It's effective, if brutal. I'll just be happy to stop feeling like my limbs are going to fall off the next day." He shrugged then, and his expression shifted as he got down to business. "You've got the reports?"

"Yes, sir," Al nodded, handing over the paperwork he'd been finishing up the last few days. It was paperwork that had been Roy's to handle until his rather extensive sick leave. "It's all finished. It would have been done sooner but, well, apparently Doctors orders was no work at home, and Riza wouldn't even let me ask Roy a single question about it." Not that he could blame her for that, but it would have saved them some time deciphering Roy's personal way of keeping his own notes!

"Excellent. Perhaps those windbags in the Assembly will stop bothering me about the budget for funding State Alchemists when they get a look at these statistics," Breda flipped through the paperwork briefly. "One less thing for them to give me indigestion about."

"Anything official from Roy?" Al asked, touching on what he knew was a sensitive subject; it was for all of them.

Breda nodded, setting the papers down on his lap. "Yeah. We had dinner at their place last night actually. Riza invited Nancy and me and the kids over. Mustang finally agreed to it. The paperwork should be up here for my approval this afternoon." There was definite regret, but also a note of relief in Breda's voice. Al understood completely. No one wanted to see any more of their friends suffer more than they needed to, and Roy's retiring was definitely in his best interest at this point.

"That's good to know," Al replied. "Ed said the University was interested in having him guest lecture on military history and the Ishbal Rebellion when he was ready." Though even Al knew that was months away at least. After the night Ed had _intervened_ a few weeks back, Riza had insisted that Roy actually talk to the councilors at the military hospital, and he would still be taking it easy for a while.

"I wouldn't mind sitting in on that lecture," Breda commented with amusement. "Sounds like a good idea actually."

They talked for a few more minutes, and then wrapped up business and Al headed back downstairs. On his way out, Al noticed that Franz still looked more stressed out than usual. Actually, now that he thought about it, the man hadn't been particularly cheerful lately when Al had seen him, and he wondered if there was something wrong. Not that his thoughts dwelt on the problems of the younger officer for long. Al had plenty to keep him busy with the rest of the morning classes. Al loved teaching the classes that covered the ethics of alchemy, especially early on when they were correcting the common misconceptions, and the students responded eagerly to his questions with insights that were sometimes right, and sometimes wrong. Everyone learned a lot though, and it made Al feel good to know that no matter how many of them failed, as many as possible would have gotten a good foundation in what was and _was not_ a proper use of alchemy.

His sparring session with Matthias after lunch went well too. Al was finally feeling as if he'd completely gotten over the set back of being out sick for a week, and taking it easy for a while afterwards, and he was feeling satisfactorily _warmed up_ by the time Ed joined him on the sparring mats later that afternoon.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" Ed asked with a grin as he stretched out before hand.

"Are you?" Al countered, chuckling. "I seem to recall winning our last fight."

"Only because the grass was wet and I slipped," Ed had a quick come-back ready. "That won't happen in here."

Indeed, Ed didn't have any trouble keeping his footing as they sparred. They had been fighting regularly, usually in the afternoons on the weekends after Ed worked with Breda. So even though their styles had changed a little thanks to some of the new tricks they had picked up in Xing, the fighting was still pretty evenly matched. It never took long for one or the other to come up with a good counter to any new move the other brother might come up with. Al was glad he'd fought Matthias first though, because the warm up gave him a little bit of an edge that he had to admit he needed lately. Al won the first two matches, but then Ed won two, Al the next, and Ed the last two, putting Ed out one ahead, with both of them fighting full out until they were both panting at the end.

Both Ed and Al would probably have just collapsed on the mats when it was done if it weren't for the fact that, as was usually the case when making use of the gym's fighting set-up, there were enough other people in the room that they had an audience. So Ed and Al retired to the locker rooms before dropping down onto a bench with large cups of water. "Where did you learn that grappling maneuver?" Al asked after draining and refilling his cup once. Ed had pulled one that Al wasn't sure he'd ever seen. It was certainly not Ed's usual style, though it had been surprisingly effective.

"It's amazing what tricks an old dog knows," Ed grinned. "Breda's got a few moves of his own; nothing new, but some of the older stuff that no one uses anymore because _everyone knows it_…and so now no one does."

Well that made sense. "So you're saying your new student's not the only one getting anything out of this," Al grinned.

Ed chuckled and drained his own cup. "Pretty much. It's not much more than a good light work for me, but it feels good to be able to help out a friend." That was, of course, the point. "Things lately seem to have been kind of a wake-up call for a lot of people."

Al nodded. First Havoc's death, and then Stevenson's of all people! It was truly bizarre not to have the old doctor around anymore. Al was sure he would still be looking for him when he went in for his own next physical. He'd been a fixture in the lives of almost everyone they associated with regularly; primary physician for a good chunk of the military, and often families too. He'd delivered all three of Ed's kids and both of Al's. "How's Ethan?" he asked. Ed's youngest had been a lot closer to Stevenson in his own way, since he had been learning from him and working with him almost every day.

"He's doing all right," Ed replied. "He moped around some the first few days, but he's taking it pretty well considering. He composed a _novella_ to send off to Lia the other day," he chuckled. So, Ethan was still in close contact with his best friend; that was good. "But he's determined to follow Stevenson's advice about school and getting into University so he can get through medical school and get the training he can't get just working in the hospital." Ed stood up and refilled his cup from the water cooler in the corner. "I don't know how he'll fit regular schooling back into his schedule with everything else, but we had a word with the high school and as long as he can pass the tests in the classes, they're willing to let him move mostly at his own pace."

Al chuckled. "He'll eat most of those classes up in half the time it takes them to cover them in school."

"Some," Ed agreed. "But not all of them. Ethan would probably be happy to run off to University _now_ if he thought they'd let him in, but there _are_ things he doesn't know that they'll require first."

Al nodded. "Will's getting a little frustrated with that right now." His son was studious, but there was at least one subject that did not come as naturally to him as everything else, and he got irritated. Lately, it was the section in his Composition and Literature class on Drachman literature. The translations weren't phenomenal, and he knew his son found the texts dull and a pain to have to analyze and write about for class. "Though Alyse and Ethan will be in the same year in school." There was a good chance of them ending up in the same classes. It was a little unnerving to think of his daughter as starting at the upper school levels.

"That might help," Ed smiled. "Ethan doesn't like to show off too much, but he's getting a little cocky. Maybe having someone else around with the brains to keep him on his toes in class will be good for him."

"Cocky? I can't imagine where he gets that from," Al teased, smirking, "Spending all his time with you and Sara. How's she doing anyway?" he asked. She had been living back at Ed's for a few weeks now, but her concussion was gone and her leg was almost entirely healed up.

"Moved back into her apartment yesterday," Ed stretched his back, which popped audibly, then started changing back into regular clothes. "She's still using the crutches, but Doctor Gray said she should just take it easy on the leg for a few more days. Other than that, she should be in sometime this week to see about getting back to work. Though I expect that will be mostly in-office duties for a while longer." From Ed's tone, he was glad for it. Sara had almost been another loss, save for having Ed's luck and her brother's alchemy skills to help her out. "But that's better than nothing. She's been going more than a little stir-crazy."

"Like father," Al quipped, changing back into his uniform after toweling off. It would have been nice to talk with his brother all afternoon, but he still had some real work to do before he left for the day. "She just wants things to get back to normal as much as the rest of us do."

Ed nodded his agreement. "Isn't that the truth?"

* * *

By the time Alphonse left HQ that evening, the day had turned from sunny to darkly overcast and spitting rain. He pulled his coat up close around himself just like most of the others heading out the doors and started to walk toward his car.

All around Al people were heading out in the usual fashion, either hurrying for cars and home, or walking back towards apartments or the NCO quarters in small groups. Some of them headed straight for the bar. It was in the midst of the end-of-day press that Al spotted a familiar form moving through the crowd alone, looking dejected, though Al could not have said why he was sure of the dejection other than the sense he'd gotten earlier that something was wrong. It was on instinct, a whim perhaps, but he decided to follow Franz Heimler, who was heading _away_ from his quarters. It was easy to keep up with him too; he wasn't moving very fast.

Franz headed for the bar just down the street and ducked inside. Just in time too. As soon as Al came even with the building, the rain started dumping down. That decided it! Al followed Franz's example and hurried inside out of the rain. The place was pretty full this evening. Apparently a lot of the younger officers and enlisted had the same idea. Al looked around, and spotted Franz sitting at the bar next to what appeared to be one of the only empty seats. Al slipped easily through the crowd. Those who recognized him moved out of the way, or waved a friendly hello now that they were off duty. Few people were intimidated by Al, despite his rank. He was just too easy going, at least compared to Ed.

Al settled down on the stool at the bar next to Franz's and ordered a soda. The bartender was used to the fact that Al rarely ordered anything alcoholic in here and didn't argue. He glanced over at Franz, who was leaning forward, forearms and elbows on the bar, staring down into a beer that he didn't look like he'd touched yet. "I wasn't aware beer was so thought provoking," Al commented, a light joke to get the other man's attention.

Franz jerked slightly and looked up; eyes wide until he saw who it was, then he relaxed. "Sorry, Sir. Just thinking." He picked up the beer and drank.

Al decided to do what he would do with Ed, and just cut straight to the chase. "You've seemed tense lately," he commented as the bartender brought him his soda. "Is something bothering you?"

Franz took his time answering, and Al was sure he was trying to decide if this was something he wanted to discuss with a superior officer, off duty or not. Finally though he set down the drink and shrugged. "You could say that. More like someone or, something _about_ someone, I guess."

"Well now that's specific," Al chuckled softly, the sarcasm mild. "Though I'd place my bet that it's about Sara."

Franz flinched, and Al knew he'd hit on the right answer. "Yeah. I… hell," he snorted softly. "Why not talk to you about it. I mean, you know her." He actually looked up from the bar and his drink and looked at Al. "I just don't know what to do."

Al had long been aware that Sara was more than a little interested in Franz and that they were very close friends. "It would help if I knew the question," Al pointed out.

"I was well… warned," Franz scowled slightly, "That I'd better make up my mind about Sara soon."

"Warned?" That didn't sound like Sara. Then Al realized just what Franz meant, and he almost groaned out loud. "Ed?"

Franz nodded, picking up his drink again. He didn't look angry just frustrated. "He pretty much told me to date her or drop her," he said before taking a drink.

_Oh Edward_. Al shook his head, irritated at his brother for getting involved. "He can be kind of overprotective."

Franz sighed and shook his head. "The problem is he's right," he said, surprising Al even further. "I mean, I think I always kind of knew Sara had a crush on me, but she was just a kid when we met. I didn't think anything of it when she never made a move later or said anything. I don't have that excuse anymore, and we both kind of promised that if we were ever ready, if there was a good time we'd try it." There was doubt in his voice though, and perhaps a hint of panic.

"So you're…not interested?" Al hazarded another guess.

"That would be easier," Franz replied with a mirthless smirk. "Somewhere in all this I fell for her as hard as she fell for me."

So where was the problem? In Al's experience, that was the way these things were _supposed_ to work. Of course, he'd had concerns when he and Elicia got together because of the age difference, so there had to be something else complicating matters. "So why don't you tell her?"

"I'm afraid," Franz admitted softly. "Stupid as that sounds given how much time we spend together. I've been on the receiving end of a badly-ended relationship before, and if we try and it _doesn't_ work, I could end up breaking her heart anyway. I'd rather die than do that to her."

Al could understand that sentiment. "From an outside standpoint," he offered an opinion, "it doesn't _look_ like there's a decision to be made. You already treat her like she's yours, and she's already placed a claim on you as far as the other girls around HQ are concerned." Observing the social circles around him came in useful at times.

"I know," Franz ran one hand through his hair. "And it's not fair to Sara to drag this out."

"I know it's really none of my business," Al said; not that he wasn't already up to his ankles in it this evening. "But if you're worried about breaking her heart so badly, wouldn't it make more sense to try the option that at least has some chance of a happy ending?" In his mind, just deciding not to give it a try would guarantee hurt feelings no matter how nicely they both tried to play things and stay friends.

Franz paused mid-drink. After several long seconds he swallowed and chuckled. "It sounds so obvious when you say it," he shook his head. "General El- Fullmetal," he caught himself and Al smirked. "He made it sound like it'd be better to let her get over me now if I wasn't going to openly do something about our relationship. But that logic doesn't follow with your interpretation."

"Ed's logic rarely does," Al chuckled and smiled understandingly. "If you really are in love with her, and you _know_ she's in love with you, it's always worth the risk. At least in my opinion. I'd probably be pretty lonely now if I hadn't followed that advice."

"And who told you that?" Franz asked with a bemused smile.

Al finished off his soda and smirked at the irony. "Edward."

**April 25****th****, 1951**

Even hobbling on crutches, it felt good to walk the halls of HQ. Sara had moved back into her apartment a couple of days before now that she could manage stairs and such with only lightly leaning on the crutches. They were an aide now, instead of a requirement. She had been sitting still too long; it was time to get back to being productive!

"Look who's alive," Ragnar chuckled when he saw her in the hallway. "Though not kicking much I see," he teased, dodging out of the way when Sara swung one of the crutches at his leg.

"I'm not incapable of defending myself," Sara smirked at him. "They're only to keep the Doctor happy for another week and then they're gone. Don't make me crack one into your skull." Though the threat sounded like something her mother would do, Sara certainly wasn't opposed to it.

"Now now, no need to get violent," Ragnar was still grinning though as he held open the door to Kane's office.

"Why not?" Sara asked sweetly as she went in. "This _is_ the military!"

Marcus Kane was as busy as always, and Sara wondered if he had to wade through the papers in his office to get to his desk some mornings. He looked up at Sara when she entered and nodded, but without his usual welcoming smile. "Major," he said. "Good to have you back."

That was it? Sara was used to something a little more friendly from Kane, even if he was her superior. "Thank you, Sir," she replied, suddenly a little uncertain. "It's good to be back."

"Have a seat," Kane offered her one of the simple chairs in front of his desk. While Sara normally would have been happy to stand, she took the offer. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Something serious apparently. "Is it about my orders, Sir?" Sara asked.

"Actually, it is," Kane leaned back in his chair. She had rarely seen him this serious. Had something happened? Or had her Father over-reacted and asked Kane to find her something _safer?_ Sara bristled at just the thought of something like that happening. Her father of all people wouldn't do that to her, would he? She waited to see what Kane had to say. "I've heard a lot of concerns expressed about your work," he surprised her.

"What kind of concerns?" Sara couldn't help asking.

"Serious ones." The short glare her Colonel gave her made Sara swallow nervously. He wasn't in the mood to be interrupted. "Suggestions that the missions you have been assigned are not best suited to your talents. That perhaps I've been mis-assigning you."

This couldn't be about Kane. He wasn't that petty, but what could Sara have possibly done wrong on her assignments that might reflect badly on her superior? "If someone has complaints about my work, Colonel, they should bring them to me directly," she commented briskly.

"As your commanding officer, this is about as _directly to you _as it's going to get," Kane replied with a shake of his head. He picked up a sheet of paper lying in front of him. "This has been going on for a while actually. In light of more recent events however, it seems only appropriate to give you the following orders. You could turn them down of course, but it will reflect on your service record."

Sara felt her mood shift from confused and irritated to downright angry at his words. That was a threat! She snatched the paper from his hand and read it quickly.

_With the approval of President Heymans Breda of Amestris' military, we do hereby confer upon Sara Elric, the Twilight Alchemist, the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with….  
_

Sara didn't get past the first line before she stopped cold, her eyes going wide as she stared at the words. She realized her mouth was slightly open, and snapped it shut. When she looked up at Kane, his familiar smug grin was plastered all over his face. "This isn't some kind of sick joke is it?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Oh it's real all right," Kane laughed. He opened one of the drawers to his desk and pulled out two small metal stars, one for each shoulder. "That is, assuming you'll agree to the promotion. It'd mean more time here at Headquarters I'm afraid." His grin actually got wider. "But we're wasting your talents sending you out on assignments almost any second or third year State Alchemist can handle. You're much more of an asset when it comes to handling other alchemists and taking more of the serious assignments that take more finesse anyway. Besides," he smirked. "Having you around means I can give you more projects around the office and you can help me beat reports out of the rag-tags we have _lazing around _here."

He was teasing now, it was for real, and Sara was just now slowly beginning to feel it sink in. She laughed and reached out, taking the two pins he offered. "I guess if everyone's so concerned, I can't really say no, can I?"

"Well you _could,_" Kane smirked. "But a lot of us would look pretty stupid if you did, Elric."

"Can't have that," Sara chuckled, and pinned the stars onto her uniform next to the others: Lieutenant Colonel. Wow! "Do either of the _esteemed_ Generals in my family know about this?"

"Not a word of it actually," Kane looked almost manically gleeful. "Mustang was the one who put it in the works originally, if that tells you how long it's been shuffling around in the paperwork. I figured they would find out eventually."

Sara laughed then. That was going to be a great moment! Her Dad and Uncle Al didn't know about this. While she was sure they would have endorsed it, it was kind of nice to know that she hadn't gotten the promotion with either of them putting words in ears. "Thanks, Kane."

"Don't thank me too much," Kane replied. "This means someone else to foist paperwork off on for me, and a lot more office work. But I could really use your help."

It meant more time at home though, time with her family, time with Franz; and Sara didn't mind that at all. "You can count on me."

"That's why you got the promotion," Kane smirked. "If I couldn't, you'd be out in the sticks as much as I could foist you off. Well," his expression returned to something mildly more professional. "That's all for now, Lieutenant Colonel."

Sara stood and saluted. "Yes, Sir!"

* * *

Sara was still feeling a little giddy a few hours later when she made her way down to the Mess Hall for lunch. She hadn't run into her father today yet, or Uncle Al, but she was looking forward to it. If not, she would make sure to tell them tonight. The person she really hoped to run into to share her news with though, was Franz. He had come to visit her after that first time, but maybe once a week. More often, he called the house, but he seemed to have been avoiding coming to her parents' place. It concerned her, but Sara wondered if that was more because it meant dealing with her father than any lack of wanting to see _her_. Or at least, that was her hope. Maybe her accident had convinced Franz that he shouldn't get too close to her. He'd been hurt by his last girlfriend intentionally. It was possible he didn't want to put his heart out there again. Sara hated that, but it was really just speculation on her part. They were definitely still good friends! His concern and relief were genuine.

Fortunately for Sara today continued to be a good one. Franz was already standing in line to get his lunch, and Sara managed to hobble up right behind him. "Good morning, Major," she commented crisply, startling Franz out of conversation with the guy ahead of him in line.

Franz's face lit up when he saw her. "Sara! I heard you were back in today. I'm glad to see-" It was obvious when he noticed the addition to her uniform. "You've outclassed me again," he chuckled. "Congratulations."

"Just outranked," Sara corrected, though she couldn't help grinning. "So you didn't know about this either?" She had to resist the urge to squeal and hug him in public. That really wouldn't do in the middle of the Mess!

"I don't handle those files," he replied honestly. "If I had, there's no way I could have kept it a secret!"

"Good," Sara smirked a little. "I'd hate to think you were keeping secrets from me. Anyway, I'd love it if you'd celebrate with me tonight."

"Sure," Franz replied, though Sara thought she sensed a moment of hesitation. "What did you want to do?"

"Nothing fancy," Sara assured him, "Just dinner at the café maybe?" It was near her apartment, an easy hobble away on foot from there and from Headquarters, and she really liked the food. She knew Franz did too.

"I'd like that," Franz smiled and relaxed a little. Or that might have all been in Sara's imagination. She wasn't sure lately.

"Great," she grinned as they moved through the line.

"Here, let me carry that," Franz insisted on taking her tray. Sara would have argued that she could handle it, but trying to balance that while having to use crutches was very inconvenient. So she smiled and accepted his offer graciously. Sara just wished she could tell when Franz was being gallant because it was just him, and what was something she could take as a sign of how he felt one way or the other! Hopefully tonight she would be able to corner him on the subject and find out.

Sara spent the rest of the day slightly giddy too. It wasn't the congratulations she got from her friends and colleagues that made her feel good – though that was nice – but the anticipation of getting to surprise her family with the news and the satisfying feeling of a job well done.

She managed to catch her father and uncle in Edward's office just before the end of the day. They were going over the lesson schedule for the next couple of weeks as best she could tell by the conversation she interrupted.

Both men looked up at the same time. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Ed chuckled, but Sara realized in that instant that she had probably waited too long in the day to catch them. They worked with the same people she did and, while Kane wouldn't have said anything, the rumor-mill would have.

"You've already heard haven't you?" Sara asked with a sigh, but she still smiled.

"A couple of hours ago," Al admitted. "It's great news!"

Ed stood up from his seat on the couch anyway and hugged her. "Congratulations, Sara. You deserve it."

"Thanks, Dad," Sara hugged him back tightly. "Though I have to say, Kane's sense of humor is as sadistic as yours! He made it sound like I was going to get demoted or stuck behind a desk filling out supply requests for the rest of my life!"

"It might feel like that some days anyway," Ed chuckled, stepping back. "It's just one of the prices we pay for the power and the paycheck."

That's right. There was a pay raise with that promotion! Sara laughed. "I completely forgot about the pay raise."

Ed shook his head. "That's my girl. You know what, you should head home a little early and see if you can catch your Mom before she leaves the Shop."

"That's the plan," Sara grinned. She was pretty sure she could manage that. Her mother had been working late a lot lately. Things were always busy at Rockbell Auto-Mail. "I've got plans tonight, but do we want to do something this weekend, as a family?"

"Plans?" Ed gave her a speculative look then shrugged when she wasn't forthcoming. "Whatever you want; it's your promotion!"

"Great," Sara was looking forward to it. "I'd better go. See you later." She purposefully ignored the speculative looks Ed and Al shared as she headed out the door. Her personal plans were none of their business!

* * *

Franz was nervous for the rest of the afternoon even though he knew he really shouldn't be. After his talk with Alphonse Elric just last night, he had been able to come to a firm decision on what he wanted to do in regards to his friendship with Sara. It was funny how easy he felt around _Major_ General Elric, when lately Edward made him feel like he might jump right out of his skin from the tension. Of course, the Fullmetal Alchemist was Sara's father, and that made all the difference in the world!

Unfortunately, there was a mountain of paperwork on Franz's desk when he got back from lunch that needed to be taken care of. A lot of the material was time sensitive, and he spent the entire afternoon absorbed in the tasks on his desk, moving from one to the next with only minimal breaks in order to get things finished.

Franz was the last one in the office, he thought, when he finally put the last signed form on top of the stack on his desk and sat back. He pulled off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and then cleaned the lenses before putting them back on his face. His eyes weren't the only parts of him that were tired either; he was sick of sitting in his chair! As he got up to stretch however, the door to President Breda's office opened, and Breda emerged looking a little harried and in a hurry. He spotted Franz and looked relieved almost at once. "Oh good, someone's still here! Major, I need a favor."

Not an order, but when the President asked for a favor, it was never lightly and certainly not something Franz was in a position to refuse. "Yes, Sir?"

"Assembleyman Jorhan's aide was supposed to bring a copy of the bill they're going to be haranguing me about tomorrow over here two hours ago, and they just called and said it would be here within the hour, but I got a call from home and Niam slipped in a puddle and smacked his head and it looks like it might need stitches and I really should go—"

"Go, Sir," Franz cut the older man off. Breda looked harried and more than a little concerned about his son, which Franz perfectly understood. "I'll wait here for the bill. Do you need it brought to your house or should I bring it to the hospital instead?" he smiled just slightly, hoping to relieve Breda a little bit.

"The house is fine," Breda replied with a brief snort of laughter that told Franz he had succeeded. "I don't know how long we'll be at the hospital and in this weather, well if we're not home yet just slip it in the mailbox. Thanks, Heimler." Breda vanished from the room without another word.

Franz looked up at the clock, and hoped that Jorhan's aide came by soon! Otherwise, there was no way he wouldn't be late for dinner with Sara.

* * *

Two hours late. The clock on the wall of the café read eight o'clock, and there was still no sign of Franz Heimler anywhere. Sara sat alone at her favorite table, her third soda of the evening sitting half-finished on the table, wondering what was wrong. She had used the public phone to try calling Franz at the office and his quarters. He had been in neither place and no one had picked up at all. What could possibly have come up? Sara wasn't sure whether to be worried or furious. Outside, it was spitting rain again and it was dark. One thing was clear though, Franz wasn't coming.

"Hey there, Twilight." Sara looked up from her drink and found Maes Mustang standing there, looking at her with an expression that was half-amused half-concerned. "What's the lovely Lieutenant Colonel doing all alone when she ought to be celebrating? Are you waiting for anyone?"

"No," Sara made a decision. "I'm not. I was having dinner but," she shrugged and stood up. "You want to go get something and maybe play a game of pool?" If Franz wasn't coming, she would much rather spend the evening with a friend, and Maes had stopped being a pest and a pain a while ago.

"Sure," Maes grinned, momentarily surprised but he clearly liked the idea. "I don't have any other plans. That would be fun." He helped her with her coat and crutches. Sara no longer had the cast on, fortunately, so she had opted to change into one of her favorite pairs of pants and a light weight pale-blue sweater. "You sure you weren't waiting for somebody?" he asked as they headed out the door.

"I'm sure."

* * *

Franz cursed silently all the way down to the café. The aide had shown up much later than he was supposed to, and by the time Franz reached Breda's house it was already almost eight. No one had been home, so he couldn't use the phone. He was running and out of breath by the time he got back over to the café near Sara's apartment, and his watch said the time was eight-thirty.

Sara wasn't there. Franz wondered why he was momentarily surprised. He couldn't have really expected Sara to wait for two and a half hours, even though it hurt that she hadn't. That was an irrational feeling. Franz continued on to Sara's apartment. She had probably gone home.

But there were no lights on upstairs. Franz went up anyway, just in case, and knocked on the door. Sara had to be furious with him! Or at least worried. He was almost never late for anything, and he'd never missed an evening or event with Sara. There was no answer after several minutes. Feeling more than a little guilty, Franz headed back to his apartment in the NCO quarters. He would explain to Sara tomorrow. She was reasonable; she would understand.

**April 26****th****, 1951 **

Sara was not easily pinned down the next day, however. She had spent an enjoyable enough evening playing pool with Maes before going home, but she was still irritated. Fortunately the new rank came with some new responsibilities and she spent most of the day with Kane getting caught up on what that new work would entail, and what would not change, and then getting down to work. If she wasn't heading down to one office to track down a late report, she was halfway across HQ having a few words with the State Alchemist who had logged his leave time incorrectly a few months back and somehow gotten away with two days off he hadn't had cleared! It was paper trail work, but it needed clearing up. Kane was determined that, if nothing else, the alchemists under his command _would_ have everything in correctly!

Admittedly, Sara could have asked someone else to do a lot of the_ running,_ especially given it was mostly spent hobbling down the hall on crutches, but Sara was getting impatient with being _lame_ and was glad for the exercise. She really couldn't wait until she was free to resume training. She and Edward were actually planning a workout for Saturday, though Sara expected it wouldn't involve running. Still, her Dad had promised he could work up something that would have her aching all over when it was done. Sara was looking forward to it!

On her third time back in the office, one of the Lieutenants mentioned that Major Heimler had come by looking for her, but he hadn't left any paperwork, just a message that he needed to talk with her when she had the chance. Sara thanked the woman, but didn't go hunt down Franz. She didn't really want to talk to him up in Breda's offices, or anywhere else at Headquarters for that matter.

The weather did not improve her mood. The spring gloom seemed to have decided it really liked Central, and the day was once more overcast and rainy. By the time Sara headed home, it was a solid, steady rain that looked like it would last for hours. She pulled the hood up on her purple coat over her uniform and made minimal use of the crutches in order to move faster, even though it meant her leg was a little sore by the time she got back to the apartment.

Sara hung up her coat and changed out of her uniform into loose gray pants that slid easily on and off over the tight cloth bandage that was still on her leg for a little added support, and the tank top that came off the top of the pile of clean laundry happened to be dark green. She didn't particularly care what she wore lounging around her apartment. She was contemplating what to toss on the stove for dinner when there was a knock at the door.

For several long seconds Sara contemplated ignoring it. She could always pretend she wasn't home, but that wasn't really her style. It could be anyone. Apparently she waited long enough, because the follow-up knock was accompanied by a familiar "Sara, are you home?" that came through in a muffled voice. "I need to talk to you."

It would have been so easy to just leave things that way, but Sara felt immediately guilty. It was a selfish, childish urge, and Franz sounded concerned. She closed the refrigerator and went to the door. "Come in," she said simply as she opened it and held it open.

Franz was also dripping wet, and water beaded his glasses as he stepped in, taking off his coat and hanging it up next to hers, courteous as always, before he turned to her. His expression reflected the concern Sara had heard outside, but he looked sorry too, even without saying anything. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Sara closed the door and smirked wryly. "In general or with being stood up last night?" she asked, meeting his eyes without hesitation.

Franz flinched, another reaction she hadn't expected; then dove right into his explanation and apology. "I'm really sorry about that. President Breda asked me to wait for some important paperwork that was late in coming. Niam had a minor accident last night and well, the aide who was delivering the papers showed up a lot later than they said they would. Then I had to deliver the papers to Breda's house. I tried to find you after but you weren't at the restaurant or at home."

Niam! Sara had heard about it that morning. Fortunately the cut hadn't been too bad and the little boy would be fine. Sara was very fond of Charisa and Niam Breda, ever since she had first met them when they were orphaned by an avalanche up North. "Maes saw me on his way by and came in," Sara admitted, feeling immediately foolish. "So we hung out last night when you didn't show."

"I don't blame you for being mad at me," Franz sighed. "You want to do something tonight? I'd like to make it up to you."

He sounded just like an apologetic boyfriend. Sara couldn't help but feel a bittersweet twinge at that thought. "Then you can answer the question I wanted to ask you last night," she replied. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Franz fidgeted. Franz _never_ fidgeted! Okay, so almost never. He was not all that difficult to embarrass but this wasn't quite the same thing. "I haven't been," he replied almost immediately, "At least, not intentionally. I've been thinking a lot about our, well…our relationship."

Sara wasn't sure she liked how nervous he sounded. She wasn't used to seeing Franz this flustered. Was this the part where he _let her down gently?_ They were better than friends in her mind, and she wasn't sure she wanted to let him finish the conversation first. "Look," she cut in, standing straight and getting up in his face. It wasn't hard; they were only a few inches apart that way. "If you're not interested, just say so right now to my face. Tell me _no_ when I do this," and she kissed him, wrapping her arms firmly around his neck and dragging him down to her level.

Sara expected _some _resistance. Other than a moment's startled stiffening… there was none. Franz returned her kiss with the same heat and passion, just as she had daydreamed about for ten years. His arms went around her waist and the kiss deepened. Sara relaxed in his arms as she realized he wasn't going to pull away.

"Sara," Franz gasped when they parted for much needed air, "I'm sorry. I just… I lied the other day," he admitted softly, one hand stroking the side of her face, running through her hair, "When I said I was worried about you after the accident. The truth is…I was terrified."

"Of what?" Sara asked. She noticed he didn't let go of her, and enjoyed the little thrill that ran up her spine. If she was dreaming, she hoped she never woke up.

"Losing you," Franz held her close. "I realized just how much I rely on your being there every day, on having our time together; what you mean to me." The words were barely more than whispers. "I just… panicked. I didn't want to hurt you if we tried and…."

"And it didn't work?" Sara finished for him, smiling. She couldn't help it. "I already think we do pretty well together, don't you?"

Franz smiled back. "That's what I've been figuring out."

Sara cut to the chase and just kissed him again. Having that barrier removed was a miracle in and of itself. They stumbled backwards a few steps until they were on the couch, and Sara was quite content to lie on top of him, lost in kisses. She had no idea how long it lasted, but the emotional heat was incredible; like nothing she had ever felt, and suddenly she understood the difference between her feelings for Franz and anyone else. _There was no comparison. _

Franz's arms went around her, pinning her against his chest, and her hands were down near his waist for lack of anywhere better to put them. They slipped easily under his shirt, and for the first time she had the pleasure of feeling the body she had only seen a few times. Franz wasn't a fighter, but he kept fit, and it was an incredible sensation. Sara's breath caught and when Franz responded affirmatively, the kisses fiercer than she had expected him capable of – her quiet, conservative friend – she decided to test the waters. Her hands moved back down the flat plain of his stomach to his waist, tugging lightly at the belt of his uniform.

Franz broke off the kiss almost immediately, but he didn't let go of her. Sara almost laughed when she saw how wide-eyed he was; as if he didn't quite believe she knew what she was doing. He _knew_ she wasn't a virgin, but still she had surprised him. "Problem?" she asked playfully.

"I didn't come…prepared…for this eventuality," Franz admitted, but he didn't seem inclined to disagree. His voice was tight, and his body completely tensed.

"That's all right," Sara kissed Franz, enjoying the effect she had on him. "I am."

**April 27****th****, 1951**

Sometime last night, Franz had completely lost any self-control or common sense he had left. Or at least, that was the best explanation he had for finding himself lying in bed with Sara Elric passed out beside him, snuggled up against his side with her arm over his chest. He had asked, more than once, if she was _sure_, but she had laughed at him and he had quickly given up any attempts to dissuade her. Franz hadn't been all that unhappy when she proved determined either, though he had _thought_ he was enough of a gentleman to at least treat the girl to dinner first!

Franz had '_been in love_' before but he knew now, without doubts, that the feelings he had been worrying about and feared would not pan out into something genuine were real. He'd fallen completely for the spirited blonde who had been a cute kid when she risked her life in a war to help others and save her father.

Well, Sara certainly wasn't just a _cute kid_ now! Franz had one arm around her shoulders, and he couldn't have been more aware of how beautiful the woman he held was. This certainly wasn't his first romantic encounter with a woman either, but he had never responded quite the same as he had last night. Franz wasn't used to losing control of himself so completely. He had been more than half-afraid that even though Sara had initiated in the first place she would regret it, but afterwards Sara had seemed more content and relaxed than he had ever seen her. He felt a little guilty for the fact that she had been interested in him for ten years, even though nothing would have come of it those first few years anyway.

There was a knock at the door.

Franz looked up and waited a few seconds. The knock came again. "Sara," he moved his arm and sat up, shaking her gently. "Someone's at the door. Were you expecting company this morning?" he half-teased. The clock in her room said it was only seven.

Hair spread out everywhere, Sara grunted, readjusted and pulled the pillow in closer when he moved. "No," she murmured, barely conscious, and then buried her face in the pillow.

The knock came again. Obviously whoever it was had a purpose for coming. "It could be important," Franz smiled down at her and then gave in and got up, dragging on his recently discarded shorts and the short sleeved undershirt that went with his uniform. He wasn't going to the door indecent! A few seconds of fumbling found his glasses on the table back out in the living room. As soon as he got close enough he could see them clearly.

Franz opened the door… and stopped dead.

Sara's father stood at the top of the stairs, his expression going from momentarily stunned to considering. "Good morning, Major," the General said neutrally.

Franz swallowed. "Good morning, Sir." He wasn't sure what else to say. He was standing in Sara's apartment in his undershirt and shorts and nothing else. Any idiot would have no trouble guessing what had gone on here last night. His face reddened as he realized far too late that half of his uniform was still strewn across the living room furniture.

The General seemed to be considering his next words carefully. Given his reputation – and that of his temper – it made Franz nervous. "Joining us for aerobics this morning, Major? Or did I miss the memo and the start time got moved?"

Damn. He didn't sound happy. Of course, he didn't sound angry either, just sarcastic and possibly irritated. Franz would have had a better idea of how to handle things if the General had just lost his temper! Was there anything he could say that wasn't going to sound bad? "Sara didn't mention any morning workout plans," he admitted honestly, silently wishing Sara _had_ remembered scheduling something with her father! "Her leg was kind of sore last night though."

"I see." Again, Franz couldn't help thinking of Edward Elric as '_the General_' at times like this. It was the only time he looked at Franz like the lower ranking officer that he was. At work, the Fullmetal Alchemist was much more laid back. Here, his presence was much sterner. "Well if the leg's sore she should be _taking it easy_."

There was no way for Franz to win this discussion. Of course, technically it wasn't a fight, an argument, or even a contest… but it was definitely a face-off of a different sort. This wasn't superior to subordinate, or even just man to man… it was a much more dangerous relationship being established, and Franz would be grateful to survive!

* * *

The voices in the other room finally intruded too much into her sleep, and Sara woke up, blinking blearily. She dragged on her bathrobe and headed out of her room to see who it was, pushing her long hair out of her face as she opened the door and stepped into the short hall that opened on the living area.

Her Dad and Franz were facing off like a pair of dogs. Sara only had a few moments to take in the scene in front of her before Ed turned and spotted her. The look in his eyes was oddly calm, and it worried Sara more than if he had started yelling, which was what she expected as she came suddenly completely awake. She had completely forgotten about this morning's workout! "Hi, Dad," she resisted the urge to rub her eyes. "Sorry I'm not ready yet. I'm running a little late this morning."

"I see that," Ed replied. "I hear your leg's sore. Maybe you should take it easy for the rest of the day." He turned and headed back towards the door. "Call the house if you're up for something later."

As the door closed behind her Dad, Franz leaned against the wall with one hand, looking frustrated. "Hell. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have answered the door."

"No," Sara sighed. "It's all right, Franz." She smiled at him then, chiding, "Unless you weren't figuring on admitting your feelings anywhere other than my living room."

Franz smiled then, perhaps despite himself. "I admitted them in your bedroom too."

"How could I forget," Sara chuckled. "Dad and Mom would have found out eventually anyway. Now isn't any better or worse than later in the long run." Which certainly didn't make it ideal, but at least her father hadn't shown up last night in the middle of things! "I'm not a kid. Dad can just deal."

"Well I'd kind of like it if he didn't want to remove my guts with a sword," Franz crossed the room and took her hands in his.

"Oh Dad wouldn't do that," Sara assured him, though she was only partially sure of that. At least, she knew he wouldn't actually hurt Franz. His surprising lack of temper concerned her though. "He likes you." She was sure of that much.

"_Liked_ maybe," Franz sighed, kissing her forehead. "If my father had ever caught my sister's boyfriend in the same position with her, even after she turned eighteen, Kale would have been a dead man."

"So the fact that Dad didn't explode worries you as much as it worries me." Sara wasn't going to try and pretend that everything would be smooth going, much as she would have liked to. "He'll get used to the change eventually."

"You mean about the time I do?" Franz asked. "Not that I mind!" he added hastily, clearly worried about insulting her or saying something that might hurt her feelings.

Sara shook her head in amusement. "When your head finds the rest of your brain, I'm sure you'll be fine. I don't think I've ever seen you this out of sorts." It was kind of cute, though not the quiet confidence she had gotten used to. Franz had often treated her as a best friend, sometimes as if she were his sister when she needed advice more than anything else. This was a side she had glimpsed when she saw Franz with Gina, or heard a little in his tone when he talked fondly about childhood crushes: the private side that only romantic interests got to see. It was a very small part of him that she had not been allowed to experience personally until last night.

"I'm not usually _this _out of sorts," Franz admitted with a self-depreciating smile. "Like I said last night, this was not an eventuality I came prepared to deal with. I was just hoping you would forgive me and let me explain."

"Well if that's all," Sara teased him. "Consider yourself forgiven. But no regrets right? No second thoughts about what we did?"

"What? No," Franz shook his head with an emphatic negative. "None; if I didn't want this it wouldn't have gotten as far as a second kiss."

Sara leaned against him, reassured, and smiled as he let go of her hands and put his arms around her. "Good. Let's go back to bed."

"To sleep?" Franz asked with amusement in his voice.

Sara smirked. "Or other things. I'm flexible."

* * *

By the time Edward got home he was over his initial shock of finding Franz in the apartment. Instead of stunned, he was irritated. He parked the car and went inside. Ethan was no where to be seen. Ed figured he was still asleep or possibly already up and out the door. For a moment he couldn't remember his son's schedule for the weekend.

Winry was sitting at the table reading the paper. She was dressed for the day, and wearing the little pair of reading glasses she now wore for reading small print. There was a cup of tea on the table in front of her. She looked up after a minute. "Edward? What are you doing home already? Is Sara all right?"

"Yeah, she's fine," Ed shrugged, walking past her towards the kitchen. He might as well have breakfast.

"Then what's the problem?" Winry asked, undeterred. He heard the chair slide on the floor as she stood up and followed him.

Ed opened the refrigerator and started rooting around for something to eat. "She had company." He wasn't looking forward to telling Winry, but it looked like he wouldn't have time to work around to it. "Franz was over."

"At seven in the morning?" Winry sounded a little surprised.

Ed sighed, grabbed the eggs and some sausage, and closed the refrigerator. He turned around and met Winry's eyes squarely. "More like he got there last night." As he had anticipated, Winry's eyes went wide as she understood what he meant. Ed would have had to have been completely blind to miss the signs, like Franz's uniform all over the living room and lack of clothing. The look on the other man's face had been a dead giveaway too. "I interrupted… something. I'm pretty sure I woke them up." He didn't want to consider any more deeply what he hadn't seen for himself! The idea of anyone touching his daughter that way made him edgy and annoyed, even if she was twenty-four.

"What did you say?" Winry asked then, giving him a suspicious look.

"Nothing!" Ed insisted. "At least, nothing inappropriate. Really. I just ducked out and told her to call when she wanted to reschedule. I was too stunned to do much else." He sighed as he pulled out a skillet and dropped it on the stove, cranking up the heat. "I guess this answers the question of if the Major ever made up his mind." His stomach twisted biliously and Ed grimaced. He jumped at a sudden pressure on his back until he realized it was Winry's hands. Her fingers found the knot at the base of his neck and worked outwards.

"You told me you wanted them to stop playing around get it over with," Winry replied, surprisingly calm. "They've been all-but-dating on and off for years, Ed. Are you really surprised?"

"I wish I was," Ed replied. "At least I had _hoped_ Heimler was more of a gentleman."

"That's only because you knew Sara liked him," Winry countered. "You couldn't care less about what the officers at Headquarters do, or who with, as long as it's discrete and not with your daughter."

"Damned straight." Ed stepped gently away from Winry's hands and cracked four eggs into the pan in quick succession. They sizzled and spit and began to turn white at once. Perhaps he wasn't being entirely fair. Heimler had never proven to be anything other than an exemplary officer and as discrete and polite as anyone could expect. He sighed. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that our opinion doesn't matter anymore," Winry replied simply, "Not that Sara doesn't value it, but that we no longer have the right to get involved. Franz has always been a very good friend to Sara, and a stabilizing force in her life. We should just be grateful she's got good taste."

"You're telling me I'm being overprotective."

"I'm telling you that you probably should have seen it coming," Winry specified. "And yes, you are. Sara's as much of a soldier as the men she works with every day. You accepted what happened with Aldon and Cassandra. You can't expect Sara to be different just because she's a girl."

At the strangest moments Winry was sensible when Ed expected her to explode. Ed flipped the eggs onto a plate and dropped the sausages into the pan. "You have a point." His reaction to Aldon's indiscretion which, honestly, had been bigger if Ed accounted for age and _outcome_ at the time, hadn't been quite as violently emotional. And yes, it had probably been because Aldon was male. "But at least Aldon and Cassie were planning to get married."

"When they talked to us," Winry had another answer ready, as if she anticipated his arguments. At this point in their lives, she probably could. "Knowing Sara and Franz, if the subject hasn't come up yet it probably will before too long. Give them a little time to figure things out before you decide it's worth working yourself up into another ulcer for."

Ah, yeah. "It's a little frightening that you're my voice of reason, you know that," Ed turned to her with a wry smile before going over to the pantry and pulling out a can of sour cabbage.

"And apparently taste too," Winry grimaced as she watched him open the can. "I thought this was breakfast."

"What?" Ed glanced over his shoulder as he dumped the can onto the mostly cooked sausage. "I like sauerkraut."

Winry rolled her eyes. "And you complained that I ate weird things when I was pregnant."

"You craved dairy foods," Ed retorted, stirring the pan to make sure everything cooked evenly and the sauerkraut warmed.

"That reminds me," Winry smirked. "Have you been drinking milk lately?"

Ed's back stiffened slightly. "I had a glass… last week."

"Edward," his wife glowered at him.

Ed smirked back at her. "If it'll make you feel better I'll dump cheese on this too," he replied facetiously.

"Gross!" Winry backed up a couple of steps, her expression of disgust actually pretty funny.

"Then leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to get nagged today all right?" Ed turned back to the pan. "You want some?" he asked as he put the sausages and cabbage out on the plate with the eggs.

Winry shook her head. "I made muffins this morning," she gestured to the muffin pan that was missing a few. Apparently Ethan was already up and out the door.

"Great!" Ed's eyes lit up and he grabbed one, taking a bite. _Mmm… cinnamon! _"These are good," he mumbled around the bite as he picked up his plate

"Glad you approve." Winry looked irritated at him now though. Ed figured it was probably because of the nagging comment. "You sure eating all that before Breda gets here is a good idea?"

"I'll be fine," Ed said around another bite of muffin as he poured a glass of orange juice and headed for the table. "I've got three hours." That was plenty of time to digest, both the meal and that morning's startling revelations. He would get used to it, eventually.

"You're inhuman," Winry sighed.

Ed couldn't help smirking. "That's not what you were saying last night."


	2. Chapter 2

**May 3****rd****, 1951 **

Alphonse was deeply lost in a good book on Cretan history when he heard a groan come from the direction of dining room table. He looked up and turned around. Will was at the table, staring down at a book and paper with an aggravated expression. "Is something wrong?" Al asked, marking his place and getting up.

Will looked up and shrugged. "Nothing a last meal and a gun to the head wouldn't fix," he replied more dramatically than usual. "This essay is driving me crazy."

"You're good at composition though," Al frowned slightly as he came over to the table and looked down. Will had a good half page written already. What was the problem?

"It's not the assignment," Will elaborated. "It's the material!" He smacked the open book with one hand. "The Drachman 'classic' _Sin and Torment_. I mean really it's a sin that it was written at all, and a torment to make us read it!"

Al rarely saw his son this frustrated. He chuckled slightly, even though he felt a lot of sympathy for him too. "I'm told it loses a lot of the humor in translation," he replied, having avoided reading the book himself. If he ever really wanted to, he would learn Drachman and read it in the original language.

"Not unless you find wallowing in misery funny," Will grumbled. "I have to write fifteen hundred words on the minor themes of the book and how they demonstrate the Drachman mindset during the period in which it was written by Friday."

So he had two days left. "When was this assigned?" Al asked.

"Monday," Will slid his chair back and stood up. "We just finished reading the book on Monday! I wrote the first two paragraphs Monday night and I've been stuck ever since. I'm getting a snack." He turned and headed for the kitchen. "Is there any apple pie left?"

Growing boys; Will was almost an inch taller than Al now. "Only if you left some the last time," Al replied, following him. "But Alyse made blackberry this afternoon at Gracia's." He had smelled them when she came home, and very studiously ignored them until the smell faded from the air.

"Even better," Will chuckled as he pulled one out. "You want a slice?"

Al had managed to avoid that temptation at dinner. It had been easier then, when he had filled up on steamed vegetables. "No thanks," he replied as Will grabbed a knife, a fork, and a small plate.

Will shrugged. "More for me." He served up one slice then put the pie back. "Maybe a little brain food will help me think this through. It's going to be a long couple of nights if I don't get this paper written." He walked past Al back to the table.

"Is it worth a lot of the grade?" Al asked, turning around.

Will nodded. "It's a quarter of our grade for the class. I wish we were doing it on Xing or Cretan literature, but no, it had to be this _particular_ piece." He shook his head, sat down, and dug in. "If I want to keep an A I _need_ to get an A on this paper. Maybe I'll call Riker and see if he has any ideas. "

Al silently wondered if Will would get any real help over at Riker's house. He knew that Riker also had a very pretty sister just a year younger than Will named Dianna who was in the astronomy club with his son. "What grade does Riker have in the class?" he asked with a knowing grin.

Will looked like he realized he'd been caught. "He's hoping to pull a B," he admitted between bites. "But Dianna told me she read it last year _for fun._ I'll take any help I can get at this point."

"Invite her over tomorrow night if you need study help," Al shrugged. "It's a little late to be going over there this evening, and it's threatening rain."

"It's been raining for weeks," Will grumbled. "It's always threatening more." But he didn't argue. Instead he finished his last bite and picked up his pen. "It's torture."

"At least it fits the mood of the text," Al replied, giving his son a pat on the shoulder. "Just relax a little. Your getting into University doesn't rest on the sole score of one essay."

"Tell that to my teacher," Will flipped open the book again to a page and started scanning it.

Al decided it was better to let him get down to business again and not interrupt. Will was an excellent student, and usually very patient. Most things came easily to him. This was the one class that stressed him out and it was usually the subject matter being discussed, not the ability to do the work, that gave him trouble. There were times when it was just best to let him work things out. When he got to University, he would have to deal with this kind of frustration there too. Even aside from his undoubtedly biased fatherly opinion, Al was sure Will would be very successful in that environment.

**May 5****th****, 1951**

"My turn!" Niam laughed, bouncing up onto Breda's back as Charisa tumbled off onto one of the couch cushions. Breda was on his hands and knees in the living room having a good rough-and-tumble with the kids, and loving every moment.

"That's what you think," he growled playfully, rolling over, and then regretting it a moment later when Niam landed full on into his stomach. With an _oof_ Breda grabbed Niam and began tickling him. The little boy rolled off laughing immediately.

Charisa snatched a small throw pillow from the chair and it slammed into the side of her father's head as he sat up. "Gotcha!"

"A sneak attack from the flank?" Breda grinned at her as he let Niam go. "Clever girl! But not fast enough!"

She squealed as he grabbed her into a bear hug.

"All right everyone," Nancy laughed from the doorway. "That's enough. It's almost bedtime. How do you expect to get to sleep tonight?"

"We don't!" Niam piped up.

Breda let Charisa go, though not without some disappointment of his own. He was enjoying himself. But of course Nancy was right. "Let's call tonight's skirmish a stale-mate and start fresh in the morning," he smiled, hauling himself to his feet. "You both need baths before bed anyway."

Niam looked despondent, but Charisa hugged Breda warmly. "Yes, daddy. C'mon Niam," she grabbed her little brother's hand, taking charge of the situation as usual. "Let's go get ready."

Breda and Nancy followed them upstairs and within a half an hour both kids were cleaned, the bathroom floor mopped, and then Niam and Charisa were tucked into bed in their pajamas after a good bedtime story.

"We sure got lucky," Breda smiled at Nancy when he had closed the bedroom door behind them.

"We all did," Nancy stepped into the room and gave him a hug that he happily returned. Her arms slid around his midsection and she leaned against him briefly. He knew she meant the both of them and the kids. "You're so good with kids. I'm fortunate no one snatched you up while you were younger."

"Or thinner," Breda smirked self-depreciatingly.

"Is that possible?" Nancy teased, but gently as she always did. She had always had a calming effect on him and a soothing presence. He needed that. "I believe you once assured me that time never existed."

Breda chuckled. "I told the truth," he replied. At least, he certainly couldn't remember that time if it had ever been the case!

"Not quite," Nancy contradicted him, tilting her head so she could look him in the eyes. "You are now."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Breda shrugged. "For all I can tell I've just gotten used to being half dead! Ed's a slave driver." In truth, he_ could_ tell a difference, though that was a recent development. The biggest thing was that his knees complained less than they had for the past three _years_. Well that and the fact most of the uniforms in his closet now fit again.

"Oh I can tell," Nancy's voice got softer, with just a slightly sultry hint to it. "Either you're losing weight, or my arms are getting longer." She gave him a slight squeeze to make the point. "Fortunately for you, I find half-dead exhaustion decidedly attractive."

"I knew you had to be weird to fall in love with me." Breda pulled her close and they kissed warmly. It was a feeling Breda never grew tired of, no matter that they had been married for ten years. Really, every day – especially now with kids of their own – life was better than Breda could ever have imagined. With everything that had gone on lately, Breda couldn't imagine now how he'd have made it without his family.

**May 6****th****, 1951**

Riza just about had lunch finished and ready to go on the table when Roy and Maes entered the house through the front door. It felt good to hear both of them laughing. So much heartache had weighed down their family the last couple of years that having both of them in a good mood at once seemed like a real miracle. "So did you have fun trying to burn each other to ashes?" she asked with a quirked smile as they dropped down into chairs at the table.

"Absolutely," Roy smirked. "Though I think we can all rest well knowing that particular bit of forest outside of town will never threaten us again."

"Dad got carried away," Maes translated, chuckling.

"So what else is new?" Riza just shook her head and served up salad and bread.

For once, Maes had a reply that she wasn't expecting. "Well, I have a girlfriend."

Riza looked up so fast she almost hurt her neck. "You do?" Maes had barely mentioned girls ever since he had nearly ruined his reputation. He had told her after that had ended that he was _swearing off_ girls for a while entirely.

"It's nothing _serious_," Maes assured her with a shrug and a smile as he picked up his fork and started eating. "Okay, so we've only been out on two dates. At least she agreed to see me more than once!"

"That's an improvement," Roy replied agreeably, looking inordinately pleased. Whether that was about Maes' new girlfriend or he was still reveling in the after-glow of blowing things up, Riza couldn't be entirely certain. This _was_ Roy after all. Still, slightly manic or anything resembling actually happy these days was improvement over the depression that still overtook him from time to time.

"Speaking of improvement," Riza cut in briefly. "You didn't tell me how your appointment went this morning?" Roy had been at a mandatory session with one of the military counselors that morning, and a normal doctor's appointment, before hanging out with Maes and doing a little Flame-to-Firebrand Alchemist male bonding.

"Oh that," Roy shrugged, but his smile faded a little. He started in on his food. "Mostly the usual. I still have _mood issues,_" he rolled his eyes, "But Gray seemed reasonably pleased." He didn't sound thrilled, but then he rarely did. Roy didn't like seeing doctors any more than anyone else, and he still wasn't used to seeing Doctor Gray all the time instead of Stevenson.

"And your vitals?" Riza fished for more information. The last report had been positive. Roy was definitely less stressed lately and his body had responded in kind; well over the pneumonia and everything seemed to be running better. His heart and lungs certainly sounded better according to Doctor Gray.

"I'm alive," Roy replied uncooperatively. "The only really good news is they won't raise a stink if I help out with some of the classroom lectures with the Alchemy program this summer and take that offer to do some guest lectures on military history and alchemy at the University this fall."

"Great," Maes grinned. "Just think, you can terrorize people in a whole new way."

"And without paperwork," Riza couldn't help throwing in.

At that, Roy grinned. "Exactly. Finally something enjoyable. Imagine, getting paid to badmouth my predecessor and talk about my favorite subjects to a captive audience."

"It's almost like they invented teaching just for you," Riza replied.

"If it allowed me to blow things up as well, it would be perfect." Roy didn't rise to the bait of her wry remark.

"You can if you help with the alchemy classes too," Maes pointed out. "Fullmetal will let you help with the alchemical combat classes too right? I can't imagine letting someone with your expertise in that area sit around doing nothing."

Roy looked up at him speculatively. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult, Maes. What makes you think Edward has the authority to _let_ me do anything? If I choose to join those classes and teach everyone a thing or two then I'll do it." He smirked. "If he wants to argue with me he can take me on again." He put a forkful in his mouth.

"You might want to work on conditioning more before you take on Ed again," Riza smiled. "The last thing you want to do is embarrass yourself."

"Shot in the foot by my own wife," Roy sighed. "What makes you think I can't take him, Riza?"

She shrugged matter-of-factly. "Walking the dogs is hardly high-impact exercise, Roy."

"Depends on how often they jump on you," Roy grumbled. Riza was just enjoying giving him a hard time. Roy was doing just what he was told to finally, even if it was mostly because Riza never left him alone; working back up slowly after spending weeks sick in bed. She had also completely emptied the cabinets of any alcoholic beverages and was even limiting his coffee intake. Roy grumbled and told her she was evil, but Riza just smiled. As long as he was getting better physically and mentally, that was what mattered. She could see the fire in his eyes again.

"If you were a better disciplinarian they might listen," Riza teased back. "They don't fear you the way your subordinates do."

"That's because threatening them with paperwork doesn't work," Maes laughed. "Really thought Dad, why complain? I thought you loved dogs."

"I do when they listen to me," Roy replied. "What good are dogs who don't listen?"  
"Oh I don't know," Riza replied easily. "I keep you around."

At Roy's indignant look – he had food in his mouth and couldn't speak immediately without sputtering – Maes burst out laughing.

Roy swallowed. "If I want this kind of abuse I'll go over to Ed's."

"But why take the time when you can get quality ribbing in the peace and quiet of your own home?" Maes sniggered.

Roy shrugged and kept eating. "At least lately it's a nice change of pace."

Listening to the family banter around the table was like a sweet melody in Riza's ears.

**May 11****th****, 1951**

"You're in a good mood," Alphonse eyed his brother as Edward came into his office that morning _whistling_. "Should I be concerned?"

"Oh I was just pulling a few strings," Ed smirked. "Get ready to pack your bags. I managed to wrangle time off for you, me, Sara, _and _Elicia at the same time next month. I've arranged for the entire Elric clan to spend a few days and have a real family vacation."

Now that _was_ a feat! "What did you have in mind," Al asked, his interest definitely piqued?

"A few days in Dublith," Ed replied, dropping into a chair. "The weather will be beautiful and we can hang out at the lake on the beach. I already talked to Sig about staying at the house. He said he's got room and we're more than welcome."

This was definitely sounding like a pleasant trip and after the past few months, a much needed respite. "That's a great idea," Al smiled. "I didn't know you were still in touch with Sig."

"Yeah, believe it or not I _do_ sometimes write to people and keep in touch," Ed said.

"It's just funny, because I still write him too," Al admitted with a chuckle. "I did live with them for almost two years longer than you did. It will be great to spend some time in Dublith again." Then he had a thought. "This isn't just some scheme to get Winry in a swimsuit is it?" he asked speculatively.

"Is that a problem?" Ed asked, raising one eyebrow. "Or are you telling me you wouldn't like to get Elicia alone on the beach in something skin-tight?"

"Now I didn't say that!" Al waved his hands in the air, though he smiled at the image those words brought to mind. No sane man _wouldn't_ want to see Elicia in a swimsuit!

"Good," Ed laughed. "You had me worried for a minute. I figure Winry can give herself time off without a problem, and it will be after school's out at the end of the term. It wouldn't be a long vacation with travel time, but then getting there and back is half the fun."

Stuffing their entire families on a train for several days would definitely be interesting. "Will Aldon and Cassandra be joining us?"

"Of course," Ed seemed rather smug. "Aldon, Cassie, and Coran are already confirmed. Aldon thought it was a great idea."

"How are they doing?" Al asked. It had been almost a year since they had moved down to Resembool.

"Loving life," Ed replied. "They had a great time at the Spring Sheep Festival. Coran's pretty much weaned, so Cassie's working in the village hospital more. Aldon's got a full workshop set up at the house and has plenty of work to keep him busy with repairs around the area as well as designing. But with him home it's easier for them to share the chores and taking care of the baby."

"You almost sound jealous," Al grinned knowingly.

"Those early years go by too fast," Ed admitted, smiling back at him. "And it's been hard not seeing Coran." Ed had really enjoyed having the young family living with them those first couple of months of Coran's life. He had gotten to spend a lot of time with his grandson and Al knew he had missed them a lot when they first moved out.

"So we can all catch up for a few days," Al replied, understanding. "Have you told anyone else yet?"

"Not yet," Ed shook his head. "I just got done getting the paperwork done and confirmed. Why?"

Al shrugged. "Does the _whole clan_ include your daughter's new paramour?" He knew Ed was a little on edge about the direction Sara and Franz's relationship had recently taken. He didn't think Ed would do anything to disrupt that, but he couldn't entirely discount the possibility.

Ed frowned but shook his head. "Just family," he repeated firmly as if to make sure Al hadn't missed that fact. "I don't have anything against Heimler, Al, but he's not a member of the family."

"I'm not arguing," Al replied easily. "But I'm not sure how Sara's going to take that, you know?"

"Yeah," Ed nodded, sighing. "I get you. I think Sara will understand."

"I hope so." Al knew that Sara was usually level headed and understanding about most things. She was much better at controlling her emotions and moods than Ed was, but sometimes she was a little unpredictable when it came to unknown factors, like romantic interests. But then, that just made her _normal_. "I'll tell Alyse and Will tonight. I'm sure they'll both be thrilled. So will Elicia," he smiled. "She's been hinting at wanting to take a little time off and do something anyway now that the weather's nicer. At least in Dublith it shouldn't be pouring rain!"

"That's the hope," Ed laughed, standing up again. "I should get back to work. I've got the lecture this morning, but I wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be confused when the paperwork comes down."

"That would have been interesting," Al agreed as he watched his brother leave. He was looking forward to next month now as he got ready for the rest of the day. It had been a long time since there had been time to do anything _as a family_ and have it mean _all _of them.

**May 12****th****, 1951 **

Sara was definitely happy with the new arrangement in her life. The last couple of weeks had been two of the best ever. Or at least for consecutive days! Franz had relaxed after the first few days, when it became clear that her father had no intention of confronting them. He had been a little cool, but more along the lines of _professional_ as opposed to cold or hostile. Sara hadn't expected Dad to be _pleased_ but it wasn't really his business and she wasn't inclined to worry about him.

Franz was just what she had always hoped he would be. After knowing him for ten years, and all his little quirks and idiosyncrasies, she had never had a problem guessing what having him as a lover instead of just a friend would be like. It was nice to be right. Franz was the same attentive, level-headed man she had always had as a friend, but a more passionate side of him came out when there were no limits or rules of propriety that had kept them polite while they were "just friends." It was the part she had known was there, but only now had access to, giving her_ all_ of Franz and she loved it!

Despite the excitement of new romance, their relationship was still very much the same, and Franz certainly did not spend _every _night in her apartment. They still had lives to lead outside of just the two of them after all, and that required things like rest and some personal space.

Tonight was one of the mellower ones. They had eaten at the apartment and now Sara was enjoying resting, her head pillowed against Franz's thigh as he sat at one end of the couch with his legs propped up on her coffee table. Her body stretched out to take up the rest of the couch. She would have considered saying something more romantic or perhaps suggestive and moving things to her bed, but that would require _moving._ After a day of rather strenuous alchemical combat training sessions, and a pile of paperwork, moving just didn't seem worth it. "I still think Dad should have asked you to come too," she commented into the quiet, picking back up on a conversation that had been interrupted by dinner, dishes, and the book that Franz was currently reading.

"Leave it alone, Sara," Franz suggested calmly, though he sounded slightly amused. "This is supposed to be a family vacation. You said so yourself. I'm not part of the family, so I hardly expected to be invited."

"That's not the point," Sara tilted her head just slightly so she could look up at him without killing her neck. "You're not some random new guy or a stranger. You're practically family as it is. He could have invited you and no one would have minded." She sighed and shifted. "I have a mind to insist."

Franz set the book down, one finger marking his place, and looked down at her, the amusement replaced with a familiarly patient expression. "Don't all right? Please," he added, softening the rather firm tone of his statement. "Right now I'm just relieved that he's still civil to me. You have to admit he didn't exactly find out about us in a gentle way, and you're his daughter. If he wasn't a little protective I'd be even more worried."

"You're too sensible sometimes," Sara sighed, reaching back and poking his leg with one finger. "You take all the fun out of being righteously indignant."

"That's my job," Franz chuckled, his arm that was resting across her waist, just under her midriff, moved as he gave her a squeeze. "Sorry, Belle."

Sara couldn't even stay annoyed. The note of proprietary affection in the old nickname made her smile. "All right. I guess I can forgive you… this time."

**June 16****th****, 1951 **

The train ride to Dublith was as chaotic and enjoyable as Edward had expected. He had reserved three berths for the family so they could fit everyone, and Aldon, Cassie and Coran joined them a couple of stops north of Dublith. It was late afternoon when they arrived at the familiar old town, and while Ed was sure he and Al, and perhaps even Winry, felt a strong whiff of nostalgia, the place was almost entirely new to most of the family. Ed and Al both had a great time pointing out old haunts and local sights as they walked through town and on down to Curtis' Meats. The sky was just starting to turn colors with the setting sun when they arrived. The lights were on inside, but there was a very familiar, very large, shape waiting for them.

Sig Curtis, aged as he was, was still a mountain of a man compared to any of the Elrics, and his expression as gruff on first appearance as it ever had been. But Ed knew how to read that face. It wasn't intimidating to him, but comforting, to find it so familiar despite the passage of time. After a moment, a small smile appeared on Sig's face. "Welcome home, boys." It was all he really needed to say.

Everyone piled inside and there were several moments of chaos as sleeping arrangements were determined and bedding set up while Sig finished preparing what turned out to be a huge meal for all of them. It looked like way too much food at first but Ed figured he shouldn't have been surprised when it turned out to be _just_ the right amount that there was nothing left on the plates.

"Do you mind if we go explore the town a little?" Ethan asked eagerly after dinner, when none of the adults felt much like moving. "It's not too late yet." Alyse and Will were with him.

Ed glanced at Elicia and Al, then Winry, who nodded. "Go ahead. Just be back before nine all right?" That gave them a couple of hours to look around on their own and made the house temporarily a little less crowded! As it was the three teenagers were bunking out in the living room. Ed, Winry, Al and Elicia had one room, and Sara, Aldon, Cassie and the baby had the one other guest room.

"Great. Thanks!" Ethan grinned and the teens vacated.

"Quiet at last," Al chuckled, sitting on the couch next to Elicia. Winry was curled up next to Ed on the other couch, and Sig had the one large chair in the room. Sara had chosen to take the floor, sitting cross-legged. Aldon and Cassie were upstairs putting Coran to sleep which, apparently, took two parents at the moment.

"It won't last long," Sara chuckled. "Tomorrow they'll have a dozen places they want to go back to and drag the rest of us along."

"Is that so bad?" Winry asked, giving Ed an amused wink. "I thought that was half the fun of going anywhere new."

"That's just cause you're the one who enjoys the shopping," Ed rolled his eyes.

"Is that any way to talk to a lady, Edward?" Sig said sternly. When Ed glanced over at him though, there was a glint of amusement in the older man's eyes. Ed relaxed. While Izumi had always demanded good manners out of him and Al both, Sig had been a very strong force that no sane boy would mess with either!

Everyone else in the room snickered.

"Some things never change," Ed smiled. "So, Sig, I know we'll get a full report in a couple of hours on everything there is to see in town, but what's really changed? I mean, the place is definitely bigger, but other than that?"

"Not much," Sig let Ed's change of topic slide. The jibe had obviously been meant in good fun. "It's still a surprisingly peaceful place. Mason and his wife and kids live just around the corner, and he and the kids still help out around here."

"How many kids do they have?" Al asked curiously. Mason had always been great with kids, so Ed wasn't surprised to find out he had at least more than one!

"Six," Sig replied simply. "Four boys, two girls."

Ed whistled. "Someone's been busy!"

"The younger three are adopted," Sig continued then when the general sounds of surprise settled. "You'll meet them all tomorrow. He was glad to hear you were coming."

"It'll be great to see him," Ed nodded, looking forward to it. He_ had_ known actually that Mason had gotten married and had kids; he'd just never gotten an accurate number on how _many._ "Does anyone ever go out to the island anymore?"

Sig shook his head. "No more than usual. Mason and his kids go out there sometimes, but it's still pretty much abandoned wilderness. Rumors keep it that way."

"Rumors?" Elicia looked at Sig curiously.

Al grinned knowingly. "He means local _ghost stories_; Strange goings on on the island, weird wild men, that kind of thing."

"Gee I wonder who started those," Ed smirked. It was probably smart though.

Sig grunted non-committally. "It keeps curious kids from going out there and getting into trouble."

"Or making any," Sara interjected with a laugh. Ed did not comment. He knew what kind of trouble Sara meant. If he said anything he was going to sound old, old fashioned, or like he was picking a fight with his daughter; none of which were his intention or preference.

They didn't talk too late. Everyone was tired from traveling and looking forward to the few days of real vacation they would have. They wanted to get enough sleep to enjoy it! About the time the teens returned everyone adjourned upstairs. Ed was not surprised to find upon glancing into the other room that – after getting Coran to sleep finally – Aldon and Cassie had already snuggled up and passed out in their own bed. He remembered those days with a mixture of fond longing and a little relief that they were over.

It was nice to curl up in the familiar house – as much a home in some ways, he felt now, as the house in Resembool. He had lived here for a time, and been loved almost like a son. Sig had been the closest thing to a father Ed had known in his childhood that he could remember, and he liked feeling welcome. Ed wrapped his arms around Winry as they settled down to bed and spent the night in a deep, restful sleep.

**June 17****th****, 1951**

The next day was spent in preparation for the third day of their trip, which meant that Winry and Elicia insisted on heading up a cadre of shoppers and heading into town. Cassie and Alyse joined them immediately. None of the men seemed inclined to go since they were highly suspicious that a lot of the day would be spend looking at clothing and-or auto-mail parts or tools of some sort. Instead, after having lunch with Mason and his family, Ed and Al took Sara, Ethan, and Will out to Yock Island to look around. Aldon stayed behind to chat with Mason; the two striking up a pretty instant liking for each other, and Aldon had a lot in common with a couple of Mason's sons as well.

Yock Island hadn't changed much, just as Sig had said. They trudged all over it for a little while, sticking mostly to the edges.

"It's so peaceful," Sara sniffed in the air and smiled as a breeze blew past them. "And so clean and empty. So you really lived here for a month. It doesn't seem so bad."

"Well it was pretty terrifying the first time," Al admitted, grinning as they walked along the beach. "We've told you the stories."

"Yeah," Will nodded. "It's hard to imagine Mason being the terrifying guy behind the mask though."

"Well it's true," Ed snorted, "Though it was years before we found that out. But there's a lot of history here, even though we didn't really spend that long in the grand scheme of things either time." He paused, looking into the brush. "This is the first place, right here," he pointed, "that we first saw Wrath."

"That's right," Al nodded, remembering. "The stone circle where Izumi did the transmutation is just through those trees," he added softly.

"Let's go see it," Sara suggested, taking the lead without waiting for anyone else.

Ed looked at Al, who shrugged and followed. It didn't take them long to reach the circle. It was still there, more water-and-wind worn with time perhaps, but very much the way Ed remembered it. Even the split in the ground that Izumi had made during their fight with Wrath was still there. No one had ever used alchemy to repair it. If Izumi had left it, Ed was not inclined to change a thing. Let it stand as a reminder for generations to come.

"Now that's something," Sara finally said softly after several breathless moments. Will nodded. "It looks like there was a real fight here."

Without meaning to, Ed and Al spoke in quiet unison. "There was." That was another story they had told their children before.

"So there's still nothing living here but foxes?" Ethan asked as they walked back towards the beach.

"And mice," Ed chuckled. "Nope, just a few small wild animals." It was funny, even the sound of the wind in the trees was familiar. Of course, after a month living under those leaves, he guessed the sound would probably never really fade from his memory. "And for a brief time, two stubborn boys determined to be alchemists."

**June 18****th****, 1951**

"What a beautiful day!" Alyse exclaimed, grinning broadly as they all stood on the edge of the sand, looking out at the unspoiled beach along the lake. "This is perfect."

"I have to admit, I can't argue," Sara chuckled as she dropped the beach blankets in the shade of the tree line.

This was definitely going to be a good day. At least for the moment, the beach was deserted except for the Elrics. Ed doubted it would remain that way, but it was the middle of the week, so most people would be working today and it shouldn't be overly crowded.

"Let's get set up first," Elicia suggested sensibly as she set down the large hamper that held the picnic lunch that had been prepared not long ago. They would be doing a much more thorough cook-out for dinner – which Ed had insisted Sig join them for when he got off work – but for now, that would do.

It really only took a few minutes to 'set up camp.' Alyse and Cassie laid out the blankets while Will and Ethan handled the miscellaneous items like the beach ball and a flying disc they had scrounged up, a wireless radio that Will immediately turned on, and a couple of shade umbrellas for the blankets that wouldn't fit under the trees. Winry and Elicia handled – and guarded – the food. Aldon had been tasked by his wife with all the items necessary for the baby _and_ the baby! Coran seemed quite pleased with that arrangement, cooing and looking around eagerly. As soon as he was put down on the blankets he started crawling eagerly for the shore line, only to be scooped up by his mother.

"He's definitely an Elric," Winry laughed. "He can't wait to get into trouble can he?"

"Not at all," Cassie chuckled as she hugged her son and set him back down. He began to crawl away again.

"Allow me," Ed smiled as he stepped forward, clapped his hands together, and then dropped to the ground along the edge of the sand. Using the more solid earth available he easily transmuted a pen that rose up out of the sand –just bars with a top railing – around his grandson.

Coran's little eyes went wide as he watched the pen form, then he crawled tentatively up to the bars and shoved. They didn't move. He screwed up his little face, looking rather annoyed at having been thwarted.

"That should hold him," Aldon laughed. "Nice work, Dad."

"Well don't sound surprised," Ed smirked. "The three of you were pretty creative at times too. Especially Ethan," he glanced over at his youngest son, who was helping Alyse set up a net that they had borrowed from Mason's family. "He could climb anything."

"Yeah, I just dismantled things," Aldon chuckled.

"And doesn't he sound proud of himself," Winry replied as she stood. "I'm going to get changed and enjoy the water while the weather is nice!" She headed for the little cloth changing huts that were set up a little ways down the beach for general use. Elicia followed her.

"What do you want to do first, Brother?" Al asked curiously. It wasn't like the guys needed to do anything other than pull off their shirts to be perfectly ready to swim. They had all worn their swim trunks in place of shorts. Ed's were – unsurprisingly – red, and Al's were dark green. _Girls! _

"I think a little lounging around indolently is in order," Ed smirked, "Don't you?"

"This _is _a vacation," Al chuckled, and Ed pulled out a couple of bottles of pop and they both sprawled out on one of the blankets.

Ed was happy just to watch for a while. With Coran safely penned up and distracted by toys – and with Ed and Al right there to keep an eye on him – Aldon and Cassie took advantage of their freedom and walked down the beach, Aldon's arm around his wife's waist. Ed was glad to see them both looking relaxed and happy. Those earlier years in a relationship could be trying, especially with small children.

Alyse and Ethan had finished setting up the net and they, along with Sara and Will, were playing a rather athletic game of volleyball, boys versus girls. Personally, Ed's bet was on the girls. Sara – in a bathing suit that looked almost regulation military given it was an unadorned dark blue one-piece – was too well trained now to be anything less than great at almost anything that required precision movements, jumping, dodging… she was a natural.

Alyse, for all that she wasn't anywhere near as heavily trained as the others, simply proved to be a natural at the game. Though she had dared to wear a peach and white two-piece that Ed suspected his brother found mildly nerve-wracking. He knew that Al wasn't entirely ready for his baby girl to grow up, but Ed could see already that it definitely already too late. At fourteen, Alyse was proving to be as much of a beauty as Elicia, but with a look that reminded Ed startlingly of his mother from some angles. Yes, definitely a beauty.

The boys weren't putting in a bad showing by any imagination, but Alyse and Sara seemed more determined to win, and they were putting more into it. Will and Ethan played, but they goofed around a little more and, Ed had to admit, it looked an awful lot like watching versions of him and Alphonse play. Will definitely had Al's look and build, and Ethan looked even more like Ed with every passing day. His hair was still growing out, but it was just long enough now to braid back, which just enhanced the image.

"Hey Ed, look at that."

Ed looked up from watching the kids to see what Al was talking about, and stopped dead still. Winry had stepped out of the small changing tent. She was wearing nothing but a solid black bikini that clung nicely to his favorite curves. The wind caught her hair, which blew out behind her like a golden wave, gleaming silky soft in the sunlight.

Ed swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "You know Al, we missed out on a few things as teenagers didn't we? I don't think I've ever picked up a hot chick on the beach. Have you?"

Elicia stepped out a moment later in a sky-blue suit that was a single piece, but strapless, and with a very simple ruffle around the bottom designed to be flirty.

"Not yet," Al laughed. "But I definitely think we should remedy that."

As Aldon and Cassie returned to keep an eye on their son, Ed stood up, still watching the two women as they walked down to the shore line, laughing together and looking out at the lake. When Al joined him, Ed sauntered on over. "Hello ladies," he flashed them his most confident, slightly cocky grin as they approached. "Can we get you a soda?"

Winry glanced over at him with a momentary look of surprise, and then realization seemed to dawn on her face. "Oh I don't know," she replied, sounding immediately doubtful. "How do we know you're cool enough to hang out with us?"

"Don't be too hasty. They're pretty cute," Elicia cut in, deliberately eyeing Alphonse. The girls were playing too.

Winry looked them both up and down. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I like the tall one," Elicia added, giving Al a flirtatious wink.

"No fair," Winry rolled her eyes. "So you'd leave me with short stuff?"

"Hey!" Ed felt his temper flare briefly, though he almost laughed himself. Obviously Winry had picked up on what he and Al had been contemplating.

Winry gave Ed one more cursory look then giggled. "Well he_ is _pretty hot. Okay sure. You boys can get us drinks. But only if you'll carry our stuff." She held out her towel with a rather commanding flip and it dropped to the sand.

Ed smirked. "Oh sure, princess, whatever you say." As he crouched down to pick it up, he slid his hands across each other. In moments, a surge of water roared up out of the lake and doused Winry, who shrieked as the cold water soaked her at once!  
"I'll get you for that!" Winry laughed, shoving him as he stood so he stumbled back towards the waves.

"Only if you can catch me first," Ed laughed, willingly heading further out into the water.

Within moments, all four of them were involved in a massive water fight.

* * *

"Is anyone else even mildly embarrassed that those are _our_ parents?" Sara asked as she watched her parents and aunt and uncle frolicking in the water. They had been at it for nearly half an hour.

"Oh I don't know," Aldon chuckled from where he sat nearby, one arm around Cassie as she leaned against his side. Coran was sitting on the blanket in front of them, content to hold still finally after crawling in circles for almost an hour all told in his pen. "I think it's kind of reassuring. After all, if they're that sickeningly cute after all this time, there's hope for anyone."

"I think they're adorable," Alyse agreed with a giggle. She was sitting at the other side of Sara, hugging her knees.

Sara smiled. "You do have a point." Her parents had been married for over twenty-five years, and even though they often disagreed and dickered about things, they were still obviously in love. "We should all be that lucky."

She could almost hear the slight smirk in Aldon's voice. "Speaking of which, I should be congratulating you on _finally_ getting together with your soldier boy shouldn't I?"

Sara leaned back and looked over her shoulder at her brother. Yes, he was definitely smirking. "That would be nice. Who told you?"

"I get most of my news from Dad," Aldon shrugged. "I think you really caught him off guard with that though."

"What did he say?" Sara asked suspiciously. He had actually said very little to _her _on the subject.

"Almost nothing," Aldon replied as Coran crawled over to his father's leg, tried to climb it, and was easily thwarted as Aldon raised it up about two inches. Coran tipped over on his side, the blinked sleepily and apparently decided to just lie there. "That's the thing."

"When Dad knows how he feels, he says so," Ethan nodded. He was sprawled out on his stomach on the blanket on the other side of Alyse, between her and Will. "It's probably the way he found out more than anything."

"On that," Aldon nodded.

Sara ignored the feeling that the tips of her ears were turning pink as her little brothers chatted about her love life! "Dad's a grown man, he can handle it. If not, well it's none of his business anyway."

"How _did _he find out?" Alyse asked with an innocently curious expression. Apparently there was at least one family member who had not heard the story.

It was Will who enlightened his little sister with a wicked grin. "He walked in on them."

Sara watched her cousin's expression shift from confusion to realization to wide-eyed amazement as Alyse looked from her brother back to Sara. "You were…" she squeaked, but the rest of the sentence never made it out of her mouth.

Oh, great. "Stop horrifying your sister," Sara glared at Will. "We weren't at the time Dad showed up," she clarified for Alyse, though she knew it wouldn't make a difference. Her cousin wasn't naïve, but she was an innocent and a proper little lady in most ways. As she had expected, that answer did not make Alyse look any less surprised.

Sara leaned back further and lay down, tucking her hands behind her head. "Dad gets jumpy about the strangest things. I never pegged him for the conservative type."

"I think it's not so much a matter of right and wrong with him the way it is with some people," Ethan said contemplatively. "I mean, he was in love with Mom and she with him and they waited for each other even though there was no reason to think they'd ever see each other again. But he sees it more logically you know? Common sense and consequences, weighing the balance like with everything else. That and after what Grandpa did, leaving a family behind; he takes this stuff seriously because it's personal too."

"When did you get so smart?" Aldon looked over at his little brother.

Ethan shrugged. "We think a lot alike, and it's like alchemy. If you think about it in the terms of alchemy, you can almost always figure out Dad." He looked back at Sara then. "I think Dad likes Franz all right. He doesn't object to _who_ you're dating at all."

"Just how."

"Okay, Aldon, enough of _pick on Sara_ time okay?" Sara glared at her brother.

"Sorry, Sis," Aldon chuckled. "But after the flack you gave _us_ did you expect to get off without a little ribbing?"

Sara noticed that Cassie had the good grace to remain silent, though she was smiling as well. "Yeah well, some of us _can_ be careful," she retorted. At the point the family had found out about Aldon and Cassie's more intimate activities, they were engaged – or married - and Cassie was pregnant. Sara had no intention of finding herself in that same situation! "I'm surprised Coran doesn't have any new siblings on the way yet."

"Well if Aldon had things his way…" Cassie laughed, leaving the unnecessary rest of the sentence hanging.

It was Aldon's turn to blush. "What can I say," he recovered quickly, grinning. "My wife is irresistible."

* * *

When everyone was tired out from playing around and good and hungry, they broke into the picnic lunch: sandwiches and potato salad, with water, lemonade and sodas. It was simple, but they had been sure to make a lot of everything and no one went hungry.

"You want to join us for a game, Dad?" Ethan asked Ed after lunch, holding up the flying disc. Will and Alyse were with him. Sara had wandered off down the beach.

Ed shook his head. "No thanks," he grinned. "I was just thinking this looked like a nice spot to take a nap." He looked over at Aldon and Cassie. "But I'll watch Coran if you two want to play."

The young parents definitely looked willing. "Thanks Dad," Aldon grinned as he handed off the drowsy baby. "You're sure about this?"

Ed eagerly took his Grandson. Coran had been looking sleepy all through lunch and, now that he was fed, he dropped off almost immediately on Ed's shoulder. "Oh yeah. I've been looking forward to more time with this little guy."

"I'll play," Alphonse grinned, getting up and going off to join the kids.

"Mom? Aunt Elicia?" Ethan looked over at the women.

"Sure," Elicia bounced up. "I'm game! Come on, Winry. What's the use of buying these suits if we're not going to show off a little?"

Winry laughed and flashed Ed a grin as she headed off. "All right. Let's go!"

Ed watched them go. Well, he could at least enjoy the show! He settled back down on the blanket, dropping easily down into a cross-legged position without waking the sleeping boy on his shoulder. "Looks like it's just you and me, little guy," he smiled softly. Of course, that was the idea! Ed lay down on his back, settling his grandson across his chest the same way he used to lie down with Aldon. Coran wriggled a moment then stretched out on his stomach, his face turned so it rested on his left cheek.

As always, watching sleeping infants made Ed feel warm inside. He had always felt strongly about protecting others, but especially innocents. While he wouldn't have admitted it in so many words when he was younger, Ed had a real soft spot for kids. His heart belonged to his family, and he felt the same strong connection with his grandson as he had with his own children. Coran was another young life, full of promise, and Ed loved the chance to spend any time he could with the boy.

Ed relaxed on the warm blanket, enjoying the heat of the day but resting in the shade. The last thing he wanted was for his auto-mail to heat up in direct sunlight while he slept. So he lay still, watching the others play for a while. He didn't know where Sara had gone earlier, but she eventually wandered over and joined the others. Mostly, Ed enjoyed watching Winry dart across the sand, laughing and as enthusiastic and competitive as any of the younger generation; as vibrant as she had always been and definitely attractive! He was one lucky guy he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Well aren't you _too_ cute?" Winry's voice woke Ed from sleep a little while later. He wasn't sure how late it was, but the sun had moved quite a bit. He opened his eyes to find Winry sitting next to him on the blanket. "You used to sleep with Aldon like that."

Ed smiled up at her. "It seemed natural, and he obviously likes it."

"I'll say," Aldon grinned. "He never naps this long. Three hours!"

"That means he'll be awake and starving soon," Cassie chuckled. "Let me take him." She reached out and gently removed the infant from Ed's chest. Coran stirred a little as he was transferred to his mother's arms, then his little eyes blinked open and he looked around.

Ed felt a moment of pleased satisfaction as the boy caught sight of him and looked at him hopefully. "Gaaapa!" Coran giggled.

"I think he likes you, Dad," Aldon beamed. "The only people he usually calls "by name" are Cassie and I." Of course Aldon meant 'mama' and 'daddy.'

Ed chuckled. "I'm honored. So, have I missed anything exciting?"

"Not really," Ethan said as he dropped down on the blankets panting. "The girls kicked our butts with the flying disc, and then in another game of volleyball too."

"Well I'm sorry I missed that," Ed grinned over at Winry. He would have liked to have seen her in action a little more. "We may have to have a rematch later and I'll show you guys how to win a battle." He smirked.

"We _were_ outnumbered," Al pointed out as he got a drink of water. "But I'm sure we'd all like a chance to hand your head to you a few times too."

"But if someone sits out to watch Coran, the teams will still be uneven," Winry objected.

"And probably in the other direction," Aldon glanced over to Cassie, who had settled down on the ground and was spoon feeding Coran who, now awake, was as voracious as expected.

Sara looked around at the guys. "So, anyone too tired to continue?" From her smirk, Ed expected she was implying that all the boys should just give up now!

"I'll watch him," a gruff voice commented from behind them.

Ed turned around and spotted Sig coming up with a hand-cart full of supplies for grilling and the food for tonight's feast. "You're sure?" he asked.

Sig nodded. "He'll be easy to watch while I'm cooking." It _would_ take a couple of hours for everything to be ready.

"All right," Aldon looked a little dazed, but not displeased. Ed wondered if his son and his wife _ever_ took time for themselves without their son. He was beginning to think they probably didn't.

Cassie finished feeding Coran and everyone who had been running around for hours finished their drinks. Then they headed back out onto the sand for another game of volley ball – the girls got to choose the game – with a freshly rested Edward.

Ed had never actually played the game before, but Alyse – who apparently played at school regularly – explained the rules. It was not complicated. Tossing him into the mix definitely made a difference! Even though most everyone was a little tired from the last few games, no one was exhausted. The guys actually won the first game, though it was close. The girls won the second. No one considered quitting before they had a tie breaker!

It was a vicious match that ended when Aldon missed diving for a ball that Sara spiked hard down over the net, ending up with a face full of sand.

"Nice game," Alyse smiled. "Are you sure you've never played Uncle Ed?"

Ed shook his head. "There's a first time for everything. That was actually fun."

"Well don't sound surprised," Winry rolled her eyes. "There are plenty of things out there that are enjoyable besides alchemy and beating up on other people."

"Oh I know that," Ed winked suggestively at her. "Watching you in that thing all day, it's rather hard to forget." He had the satisfaction of watching his wife blush amidst a mix of laughter, whistles, and cat calls from the rest of the family.

By the time they all walked back over to where Sig had set up, the smell of cooking meat wafted across the beach: steak, fish, and sausages. That wasn't the only thing grilling though. Ed could definitely pick out the smell of herbed vegetables on the grill. It was a good thing Sig made plenty, because by now everyone was starving.

Though that did not last long. Within a half an hour the food was ready and everyone had eaten their fill. Sprawled out on the ground in various positions of repose, they watched the sun as it set, casting the sky in a rainbow of hues.

* * *

The sun dipped below the horizon and the stars came out over the lake. It was a cloudless night, and the moon was so bright that everything was washed in a blue-white glow. Ed leaned against the trunk of a tree, sipping his drink and admiring the peace and beauty around them. He didn't feel like standing still though. There were a lot of things that should be done under the moonlight, and he wasn't going to waste the opportunity.

"Hey beautiful," Ed walked over to Winry and looked down, holding out a hand. "Would you like to take a walk on the beach with me?"

Winry stopped talking to Cassie and looked up at him. She smiled softly and took his hand. "I'd like that."

Together they headed away from the group, walking down the beach along the lake shore. The small waves stopped just short of their feet. Despite the loveliness of their surroundings, Ed only had eyes for his wife.

"What are you looking at?" Winry chuckled, looking up from the view to catch him staring.

Ed shrugged easily. "This ethereal being that seems to have descended from the moon to grace me with her presence."

Winry blushed again in obvious pleasure. "Why weren't you this romantic when you were sixteen?"

"I was too terrified that you'd hit me with something," Ed chuckled, keeping his left arm comfortably around Winry's shoulders. "And I didn't know what I was missing."

"This was a wonderful idea you had," Winry leaned her head against his shoulder without missing a step. "I wish we could get away more often."

Ed could hear the wistfulness in her voice, and he knew that what she really meant was that they could spend more time together, and more time as a family. The world had always conspired to keep them busy. "Are you happy, Winry?" He asked the question before he even realized he was thinking it.

She stopped walking then and met his gaze without hesitation, her expression tender. "I am," she replied softly. "With life, with what I've accomplished, with our family… and especially with you."

Ed shifted to put both arms around her. "Then, would you like to spend the _rest_ of it with me?"

Winry paused, surprised, and then gave him a questioning look of mild disbelief. "Edward, are you_ proposing_?"

"Hey," Ed grinned lopsidedly as he leaned in to kiss her, "Better late than never right?" At least now she could stop claiming he'd never asked!

For a moment he wasn't sure if Winry was going to cry or laugh in his face. After a moment though, she giggled as they kissed. "Then I accept… with all my heart."


End file.
